Eleven Somerset pubs which have changed their name

There are always pubs and drinking holes that live long in the memory.

And while the places may be remembered the same, the names of the establishments may have changed.

Every generation might know certain pubs as a different name and here are eleven Somerset pubs that have used other identities during their past.

Coopers Mill (formerly The Hendford)

This establishment began life as a lambskin dressing factory and it wasn't until 1989 that it was converted into pub. On opening, it was called The Hendford, due to its location in Yeovil but changed its name four years later to its current name.

Coopers Mill

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Toby Carvery Taunton (formerly Blackbrook Tavern)

One of the most memorable landmarks on the journey into Taunton along the A358 was the Blackbrook Tavern. The pub still stands but since 2015, it was taken on by Toby Carvery and nowadays, all reference to its former self has disappeared.

The Blackbrook Tavern has been renamed as a Toby Carvery (Image: Google)

The Beach (formerly Alice Springs)

In the 90s, an Australian-themed bar called Alice Springs opened in Yeovil after the Wessex Social Club closed its doors for the last time. The clamour for Aussie antics in South Somerset wasn't as high as hoped and it became The Beach, with a seaside theme.

The Beach

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The Plough Inn (formerly Harpoon Louis)

The Plough Inn is a traditional pub in the centre of Taunton but there was a time when it was a low ceilinged, beach shack style bar called Harpoon Louis. Back then it had a penchant for seafood but nowadays it is cider that rules the waves.

It's cider all the way at The Plough (Image: Google)

The Westminster (formerly The Chopper Bar and Yeovil Wine Bar)

There has been a pub at this location in Yeovil since 1861, when it was a beer house owned by J Brutton & Son. When the road was widened in the 1920s, the place became a bone fide pub called Heart of Oak.

This was how it stayed until the 1970s, when it got pretensions of grandeur and renamed as Yeovil Wine Bar. This was dispelled in the late 1980s, when it became dubiously named Chopper Bar before taking its current name.

The Westminster used to rather dubiously named The Chopper Bar (Image: Google)

The Waldergrave Arms (formerly The Rising Sun)

In Chewton Mendip, the local pub was called the Waldegrave Arms. In the 1930s, this building was demolished and The Rising Sun was rose from the rubble. Latterly, this changed its name to The Waldergrave Arms, in honour of what stood before.

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The Globe & Crown (formerly Globetrotters)

Since opening its doors in 1830, this Yeovil pub has been known as The Globe & Crown. There was a little blip in its history when, during the 2000s, it decided to rebrand as a sports bar called Globetrotters.

Thankfully, the original name was restored in the past few years after it tried life as just The Globe, when the sporting theme was dropped.

The Globe & Crown became Globetrotters during the 2000s (Image: Western Gazette)

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Molly Malone's (formerly Malt and Hops)

This lively Irish pub in Taunton used to be a steak and grill house named Malt & Hops. Before this, a generation knew the establishment as The Tanners Arms during the 80s.

Molly Malones was formerly known as Malt and Hops (Image: Google)

Karma Bar (formerly Duke of Clarence and Stars Lane)

There is a long history connected to a pub being on this Yeovil site. Nearly four hundred years ago it was established as the Fives Court Inn and it has taken many different monikers over time.

It is most well known in the area for a certain generation as the Duke of Clarence, during its heyday in the 60s. During the 80s, it was named Stars Lane, after the road where it is sited before latterly transforming into Harry's Bar and now Karma Bar.

Karma Bar used to be The Duke of Clarence (Image: Google)

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The Orchard Inn (formerly The Old Pub and The Harvester Inn)

Until the summer of 2016, this Galhampton pub was called The Old Pub, after previously being known as The Harvester Inn. Nowadays, The Orchard Inn name is a tribute to the cider making history of the area that was the village's foundations.

The Orchard Inn at Galhampton (Image: Google)

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The Airfield Tavern (formerly Brewsters)

One of the newest establishments in the area was Yeovil's Brewsters, that opened in 2002. It is a 'chain' pub which was popular with families due to Brewster Bear and the soft play area that was part of the building.

The Airfield Tavern was formerly Brewsters (Image: Google)

When the pub became part of the 'Table Table' group, it renamed to The Airfield Tavern due to it being in the close proximity to Yeovil Aerodrome.